Apparatus and method for a collapsible arched ramp

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for a collapsible arched ramp includes an arched vertically extending middle ramp section, two arched vertically extending outer ramp sections, and two arched vertically extending connecting ramp sections. The connecting ramp sections connect the outer ramp sections to opposing vertical sides of the middle ramp section so that the outer ramp sections are substantially parallel and laterally spaced apart with the middle ramp section. The arches of the outer ramp sections arch in a same direction of the arch of the middle ramp section and arch in the opposite direction of the middle ramp section. When collapsing the ramp, the direction of the arched sections line up, allowing for a compact assembly that may be easily carried and stored. The method of extending and collapsing the ramp allows for a ramp that is rapidly and efficiently assembled.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/301,004 filed on Nov. 21, 2011, titled “Apparatus and Method for aCollapsible Arched Ramp,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for a collapsibleramp assembly, and more specifically relates to a collapsible archedramp for loading snowmobiles onto a transport vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the popularity of outdoor sports and recreational activitiesincrease, the desire for the ease and efficiency of loading andtransporting the associated equipment and/or accessories also increase.Depending on its size and shape, some equipment for sports andrecreational activities are fairly easy to load. Other larger or bulkierequipment, such as small recreational vehicles, are more of a challengeto load. One affordable solution to loading small recreational vehicles,such as snowmobiles, onto a transporting vehicle, such as a truck, isthrough a portable ramp.

There are several prior art portable ramp assemblies for loading smallrecreational vehicles, including some which consist of a solid piece ofmaterial, with no movable parts, and some, which are divided intosections that allow the ramp to be assembled, folded or collapsed. Thedisadvantage of a ramp made of the solid piece of material, though, isthat is may be awkward to move, and a nuisance to store when not in use.

Foldable or collapsible ramps vary depending upon, among other things,the desired direction of the fold and the hinges used for folding. Afoldable ramp may fold vertical, such that there are two or three solidvertical sections that hinge together for folding thereon, or forexpanding and collapsing close to each other. These sections arenormally flat for ease of folding and will fold out to a flat ramp.Although vertical folding ramps such as these are more portable andstorable than a single solid piece ramp assembly, they do not providemuch clearance for a small recreational vehicle when loading onto a backof a truck, the recreational vehicle being loaded may have a difficulttime in loading and unloading onto a ramp with a flat surface, and theramp may be awkward or time-consuming to fold out or set into place.

A horizontally foldable ramp may be formed to fold out to provide anarching of the ramp, thus allowing more ease in loading and unloading,and providing more clearance for the recreational vehicle.Unfortunately, to form an arch on the ramp, a horizontally foldable orcollapsible ramp normally consists of many sections, which in turn,consist of many hinges, and/or connecting pieces. Thus, there are manyparts that can wear out and that need to be replaced, making it lesscost effective. Furthermore, a horizontally foldable ramp may also beawkward and time-consuming to fold out or set into place.

Thus, there is a need to provide a collapsible ramp that is easily andquickly assembled, provides ease and clearance in loading and unloadinga recreational vehicle onto a transport vehicle, and is durable and costeffective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus and method for a collapsible arched ramp includes an archedvertically extending middle ramp section, two arched verticallyextending outer ramp sections, and two arched vertically extendingconnecting ramp sections. The two connecting ramp sections connect thetwo outer ramp sections, respectively, to opposing vertical sides of themiddle ramp section so that the two outer ramp sections aresubstantially parallel and laterally spaced apart with the middle rampsection. The arches of the two outer ramp sections arch in a samedirection of the arch of the middle ramp section. The arches of the twoconnecting ramp sections arch in the opposite direction of the middleramp section. When loading and unloading onto a transport vehicle, thearching provides clearance and ease of loading and unloading for a smallrecreational vehicle.

When collapsing the collapsible arched ramp, the direction of the archedsections line up, allowing for a compact assembly that may be easilycarried and stored. The method of unfolding and folding the collapsiblearched ramp allows for a collapsible arched ramp that is rapidly andefficiently assembled.

The foregoing and other features will be apparent from the followingmore particular description, as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be described in conjunction with the appendeddrawings, where like designations denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible arched ramp;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the ramp of FIG. 1, without element 44,illustrating both a partially collapsed and collapsed orientation; and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the ramp of FIG. 2, wherein the ramp is in thecollapsed orientation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As seen in FIG. 1, a collapsible arched ramp 10 includes a middle rampsection 12, two outer ramp sections 22 and 24, and two connecting rampsections 32 and 34. Middle ramp section 12 vertically extends a firstpredetermined length and includes a top surface 13, and a bottom surface15. Rungs 18 extend laterally between outer rails 19 on middle rampsection 12 and are spaced longitudinally apart therealong, supporting asmall recreational vehicle as it ascends up the ramp. Middle rampsection 12 is arched in a first direction, wherein when middle rampsection 12 is in an inclined position, a top portion of middle rampsection 12 slightly curves downward. When attaching collapsible archedramp 10 to a transport vehicle 60 with attachment piece 16, top portionof middle ramp section 12 curves towards transport vehicle 60. A secondattachment piece 62, connected to a middle rung 18 on one end allowscollapsible arched ramp 10 to be stabilized by connecting the other endof second attachment piece 62 to a transport vehicle. The arching ofmiddle ramp section 12 provides clearance and ease of loading andunloading a small recreational vehicle onto a transport vehicle. Middleramp section 12 may be made of a strong, but lightweight material, suchas aluminum, but also may be manufactured from other materials that arewell known in the art and is not limited to such.

Outer ramp sections 22 and 24 are substantially parallel to andlaterally spaced apart on either vertical side of middle ramp section12. Each outer ramp section 22 and 24 vertically extends a secondpredetermined length that is approximately equal to first length ofmiddle ramp section 12. Outer ramp section 22 includes a top surface 23and a bottom surface 25. All though not specifically detailed, outerramp section 24 includes the same surfaces as outer ramp section 22.Both outer ramp sections 22 and 24 are arched substantially in the samedirection as middle ramp section 12. Specifically, when outer rampsections 22 and 24 are in an inclined position, a top portion of outerramp sections 22 and 24 slightly curve downward. Thus, a top portion ofouter ramp sections 22 and 24 curve towards the transport vehicle 60when attaching collapsible arched ramp 10 with attachment piece 56 to atransport vehicle 60. Guides 58 extend laterally between two rails 29 ofouter ramp section 22 and are spaced longitudinally apart therealong,supporting, for example, the skis of a snowmobile as it ascends up theramp. Guides 58 may be made of plastic or a similar formed material.Again, although only outer ramp section 22 is described in detail, it isto be understood that outer ramp section 24 has the same features,surfaces and portions as outer ramp section 22. Outer ramp sections 22and 24 may be made of a strong, but lightweight material, such asaluminum, but also may be manufactured from other materials that arewell known in the art and is not limited to such.

Connecting ramp sections 32 and 34 connect outer ramp sections 22 and 24to opposing vertical sides of middle ramp section 12 so that outer rampsections 22 and 24 are substantially parallel and laterally spaced apartwith the middle ramp section 12. Connecting ramp sections 32 and 34 havea top surface 33, a bottom surface 35 and hinge members 36. Although notspecifically detailed, connecting ramp sections 32 and 34 are similar inshape and features and have at least two hinges each. For this specificexample, two hinges on one side of connecting ramp section 32 connectconnecting ramp section 32 to middle ramp section 12 and two hinges onthe opposing side of connecting ramp section 32 connect connecting rampsection 32 to outer ramp section 22. Likewise, two hinges on one side ofconnecting ramp section 34 connect connecting ramp section 34 to middleramp section 12 and two hinges on the opposing side of connecting rampsection 34 connect connecting ramp section 34 to outer ramp section 24.Hinge members 36 are pivotally rotatable around an axis and will bedescribed in more detail hereafter. Although for this specific example,two hinges are shown on either side of connecting ramp sections 32 and34, the invention in not limited to such, and many other number ofhinges may be used, such as one or four, without departing from thescope of the invention. Connecting ramp sections 32 and 34 are of athird predetermined length, the length being of a smaller length thanthe first or second predetermined length. That is, a vertical length ofthe connecting ramp section 32 or 34 is smaller than a vertical lengthof the middle ramp section 12. Both connecting ramp sections 32 and 34are arched substantially in the opposite direction as middle rampsection 12. Specifically, when connecting ramp sections 32 and 34 are inan inclined position, a top portion of connecting ramp sections 32 and34 slightly curve upwards. As will be discussed in greater detail inregards to FIG. 3, the arching of connecting ramp sections 32 and 34allows collapsible arched ramp 10 to collapse in a tight, parallelmanner, making it easy to transport and store. Although connecting rampsections 32 and 34 are shown of a predetermined width, they also may bemade adjustable to allow for different sized recreational vehicles andthe invention is not limited to such. Connecting ramp sections 32 and 34may be made of a strong, but lightweight material, such as aluminum, butalso may be manufactured from other materials that are well known in theart and is not limited to such.

Traction control section 44 of collapsible arched ramp 10 is connectedto middle ramp section 12 through hinges (at least two) on the bottomportion of middle ramp section 12. Specifically, hinge 42 connects arail 49 of traction control section 44 to a rail 19 of middle rampsection 12. Although only one hinge is described, it is to be understoodthat there is at least one more hinge connecting the other rail ofmiddle ramp section 12 to fraction control section 44. Traction controlsection 44 allows for the loading of small vehicles onto transportvehicle 60 even when there is snow, rain, or other slippery substanceson the ground. Rungs 48, similar to rungs 18 of middle ramp section 12extend laterally on traction control section 44 on rails 49 and arespaced longitudinally apart therealong. Traction control section 44 maybe made of a strong, but lightweight material, such as aluminum, butalso may be manufactured from other materials that are well known in theart and is not limited to such.

As seen in FIG. 2, collapsible arched ramp 10 is shown in both apartially collapsed orientation (elements 22, 24 and 32 in dottedoutline) and a fully collapsed orientation (elements 22, 24 and 12 insolid outline). Hinges 36 allow the outer ramp section 22 to pivotallycollapse upon middle ramp section 12, wherein top surface 33 ofconnecting ramp section 32 pivotally collapses upon top surface 13 (seeFIG. 1) of middle ramp section 12 and bottom surface 25 (see FIG. 1) ofouter ramp section 22 pivotally collapses on bottom surface 35 (seeFIG. 1) of connecting ramp section 32. Top surface 23 of outer rampsection 22 remains on top in extended orientation, partially collapsedorientation and fully collapsed orientation. Although not specificallydiscussed in reference to outer ramp section 24, it is to be understoodthat it collapses in a similar way as outer ramp section 22. Outer rampsection 22 collapses on approximately one vertical half of middle rampsection 12, and outer ramp section 24 collapses on approximately theother vertical half of middle ramp section 12. Although not specificallyshown, traction control section 44 (see FIG. 1) could then collapse ontotop surface 23 of outer ramp section 22.

FIG. 3 illustrates the side view of FIG. 2 when in a fully collapsedorientation. Middle ramp section 12 is shown as the bottom layer,connecting ramp section 32 is shown as the middle layer and outer rampsection 22 as the top layer. As explained in reference to FIG. 2, incollapsed orientation, top surface 33 of connecting ramp section 32collapses upon top surface 13 of middle ramp section 12 and bottomsurface 25 of outer ramp section 22 collapses on bottom surface 35 ofconnecting ramp 32. Thus, while collapsed, the top surface 13 of middleramp section 12 is in facing relationship to the top surface 33 ofconnecting ramp section 32 and the bottom surface 35 of the connectingramp section 32 is in facing relationship to the bottom surface 25 toouter ramp section 22. The arching of connecting ramp sections 32 and 34allows collapsible arched ramp 10 to collapse in a tight parallelmanner, making it easy to transport and store, without losing thebenefits of having an arched ramp. Also, the collapsible ramp of thepresent invention is easily and quickly assembled, provides ease andclearance in loading and unloading a recreational vehicle onto atransport vehicle, and is durable and cost effective.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations are possiblewithin the scope of the claims. Thus, while the disclosure isparticularly shown and described above, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that these and other changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theclaims. For example, although snowmobiles are specifically disclosed inthe present disclosure, it is to be understood that any type of smallrecreational vehicle may also loaded with the invention and thedisclosure is not limited to such. Therefore, reference herein tosnowmobiles is only by way of example, and is not intended to belimiting.

1. An apparatus comprising: an arched vertically extending middle rampsection; two arched vertically extending outer ramp sections, an arch ofeach of the two outer ramp sections arching in a same direction as anarch of the middle ramp section; two connecting ramp sections, eachconnecting ramp section connecting the two outer ramp sections toopposing vertical sides of the middle ramp section; and a tractioncontrol section connected to the middle ramp section, wherein theapparatus may be configured in each of a collapsed orientation and aninclined orientation, wherein the two outer ramp sections aresubstantially parallel to and laterally spaced apart from the middleramp section when in the inclined orientation.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the traction control section includes two verticallyextending rails and at least one rung extending laterally between thetwo vertically extending rails.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thetraction control section has at least one hinge and is connected andpivotally rotatable through the hinge to a lower end section of themiddle ramp section.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the middleramp section, the two outer ramp sections, and the two connecting rampsections further comprise: a top surface and a bottom surface, whereinwhen the apparatus is configured in the collapsed orientation, the topsurface of the middle ramp section is in facing relationship to the topsurface of the two connecting ramp sections and the bottom surface ofthe two connecting ramp sections is in facing relationship to the bottomsurface of the two outer ramp sections.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: at least one hinge on each of the two connectingramp sections to pivotally rotate each of the two connecting rampsections with one of the two outer ramp sections and each of the twoconnecting ramp sections with the middle ramp section.
 6. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein the middle ramp section further comprises: a topsection, wherein the top section curves downward from the top surface ofthe middle ramp section.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the two outer ramp sections further comprise: vertical dualrails; and a plurality of guides, the guides extending laterally betweenthe dual rails and spaced longitudinally apart therealong.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer ramp sections are eachapproximately one half the width of the middle ramp section.
 9. Anarched collapsible ramp for loading and unloading a snowmobile on atransport vehicle comprising: an arched vertically extending middle rampsection having a top section for attaching to the transport vehicle; twoarched vertically extending outer ramp sections, an arch in each of thetwo outer ramp sections arching in a same direction as an arch of themiddle ramp section; two connecting ramp sections; and a tractioncontrol section connected to the middle ramp section, wherein each oneof the connecting ramp sections connects to one of the two outer rampsections and also connects to a vertical side of the middle rampsection, and wherein the two outer ramp sections are substantiallyparallel with and laterally spaced apart from the middle ramp section.10. The ramp of claim 9, wherein the traction control section includestwo vertically extending rails and at least one rung extending laterallybetween the two vertically extending rails.
 11. The ramp of claim 9,wherein the traction control section has at least one hinge and isconnected and pivotally rotatable through the hinge to a lower endsection of the middle ramp section.
 12. The ramp of claim 9, whereineach of the middle ramp section, the two outer ramp sections, and thetwo connecting ramp sections further comprises a top surface and abottom surface, and wherein the apparatus is configured in a collapsedorientation, with the top surface of the middle ramp section in facingrelationship to the top surface of the two connecting ramp sections, andthe bottom surface of the two connecting ramp sections in facingrelationship to the bottom surface of the two outer ramp sections. 13.The ramp of claim 9, further comprising: at least one hinge on each ofthe two connecting ramp sections to pivotally rotate each of the twoconnecting ramp sections with one of the two outer ramp sections andeach of the two connecting ramp sections with the middle ramp section.14. The ramp of claim 9, wherein the middle ramp section furthercomprises: a top section, wherein the top section curves downward fromthe top surface of the middle ramp section and towards the transportvehicle when attached to the transport vehicle.
 15. The ramp of claim 9,wherein at least one of the two outer ramp sections further comprisesvertical dual rails and a plurality of ski guides, the ski guidesextending laterally between the dual rails and spaced longitudinallyapart therealong.
 16. The ramp of claim 9, wherein the outer rampsections are each approximately one half the width of the middle rampsection.
 17. A method of collapsing an arched collapsible rampcomprising the steps of: providing the ramp configured in an inclinedorientation; providing an arched vertically extending middle rampsection having an arch in a first direction; providing at least onearched vertically extending outer ramp section having an arch in a samedirection as the first direction; providing at least one connecting rampsection; providing a traction control section connected to the middleramp section, and connecting the at least one outer ramp section to avertical side of the middle ramp section with the at least oneconnecting ramp section so that the at least one outer ramp section issubstantially parallel with and laterally spaced apart from the middleramp section.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the stepsof: providing a top surface and a bottom surface on each of the middleramp section, the at least one outer ramp section, and the at least oneconnecting ramp section; collapsing the top surface of the at least oneconnecting ramp section into a facing relationship with the top surfaceof the middle ramp section; and collapsing the bottom surface of the atleast one outer ramp section into a facing relationship with the bottomsurface of the at least one connecting ramp section.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising the steps of: providing the at least oneconnecting ramp section with at least one hinge; connecting the at leastone connecting ramp section to the middle ramp section and the at leastone outer ramp section with the at least one hinge; and pivotallyrotating the at least one connecting ramp section to collapse the atleast one connecting ramp section into a facing relationship with themiddle ramp section.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising thesteps of: providing a traction control section with at least one hinge;connecting the fraction control section to a lower end section of themiddle ramp section; and collapsing the traction control section ontothe top surface of the at least one outer ramp section.